BMX dreams of Olympic success

For some athletes, the opportunity to compete at an Olympic Games is a powerful and irresistible lure. Sam Willoughby is a prime example.

The Adelaide native was just 16 and on a break from bashing the bumps in BMX training when he saw the first Olympic event for his sport in Beijing.

It was literally a life-changing event for the teenager.

"I was sitting there on the couch and I just couldn't - after watching the Olympics, continue on my break of not training," Willoughby says.

"Like, I just wanted to get back into it and go full bore for the next four years."

A year later, Willoughby put it all on the line, leaving friends and family in South Australia to move to the United States and follow his dream on the professional circuit.

Now he's number one in the world, and a chance to bring home gold for Australia in London.

"It's been tough at times 'cause ... I've had to grow up and live ahead of my time a bit, doing things that, you know most 17-year-olds wouldn't do," he says.

"I was paying rent and living by myself in an apartment and doing all my washing and learning all this stuff ... but it was great because it matured me in ways that allowed me to race at the top level so young."

It's not just Willoughby who's flying high in the rankings, either.

Flying high

Caroline Buchanan is Australia's top female rider, ranked number four in the world and rising. Like Willoughby, she seems to be peaking at the right time to challenge for the medals in London.

At the recent World Cup Supercross event in Norway, Buchanan finished first in the final and then won the time trial. Willoughby narrowly missed out on the double, beaten by just two thousandths of a second by American rider Connor Fields.

Four years ago Buchanan was junior world BMX champion but was too young to compete at the Games.

Not wanting to wait around for four years to get her chance in London, the Canberra rider decided to shift to mountain biking, and won two world titles before reverting to her favourite event in time for the Olympics.

"This is my goal, my dream and I don't only want to make the team and get the tracksuit, I want to go there and get a medal and gold's my aim,'' Buchanan says.

"So, it's pretty exciting, but I think it's going to come around quickly."

Of course, just getting to the Olympics is no guarantee. Just ask Australia's representatives in BMX in Beijing, Nicole Callisto and Jared Graves.

Both made it to the finals of their events, but neither finished, crashing out of contention.

National high performance coach Wade Bootes says the riders and the team are leaving nothing to chance in London.

"Training's totally changed. Basically we just had guys nearly rockin' up and just trying to train as they think they need to,'' Bootes says.

"It's not about guys just riding bikes now.

"There is a lot more support behind what the riders do and the progression of (where) the sport's going.

"It's getting faster and harder and more technical and the riders have to adapt to the new changes, step up to the mark and set new benchmarks for themselves, but also for the nation."